Media consumption is likely a large part of your day-to-day activities. The method by which this media is consumed varies depending on personal preference. Local media libraries are often consumed and managed via a media player. Unfortunately, however, the default media player inside of Windows is often considered to be sub-par when compared to some of the feature-rich, well-polished, and free alternatives that are currently available.

If you are not satisfied with your current media player, I have compiled a list of my top six favorite media players that are available for Windows.

Productivity is difficult to achieve in a world full of distractions and complications. Simplifying the process of getting things done would greatly increase your productivity during the typical day. If you find yourself struggling to be productive, I have compiled a list of Windows applications to help you increase your productivity and make your life a little easier.

Welcome to the third part of the Eurogamer Expo round-up. Today we’ll be covering some delicious sequels. Unsurprisingly, there were a lot of sequels on show at the Eurogamer, but that’s what brings the crowds, of course. Apart from Dishonored and a couple of Indie Games I’ll be telling you about later on, it’s pretty much all sequels.

The sharing of data has evolved considerably over the last few years. There was a time when those square, 1.44MB floppy disks were considered sufficient for complete operating systems (DOS anyone?!) and now, I can’t imagine anything less than a few GBs of useful data. But what happens when you are stuck with a 3GB file that needs to be shared with your colleagues or family? Well, I have found the perfect answer to that in file-sharing services available over the internet.

I can broadly classify the different file-sharing services into dedicated and personal, with the dedicated ones being apt for a corporate environment and the personal ones, well, for sharing pictures, videos etc. with family and friends. Since there are several file-sharing services available, I have selected the 7 most used, most efficient file-sharing services that can help you get the job done in a jiffy. So, let’s take a look!(more…)

If you’re also an Android user, then you should definitely check out Android.AppStorm – maybe start by grabbing some great free apps!

There’s certainly no shortage of free Android apps, but a lot of these are really more like free demos: they’re ad-supported “lite” versions with accompanying paid apps, or they’re 30 day trials, or they require you to unlock extra features via in-app purchases or by paying for a monthly account.

That’s not a bad thing, of course; we shouldn’t expect all developers to give away the products of their hard work for free! But in this roundup, we’ll look exclusively at apps that don’t ask for a penny.

Even though instant messaging has been around for a long time, it is even more popular now than it was before. There are a lot of chat clients available for Windows and a lot of different chat networks, and social media websites.

Let’s take a look at the eight most popular and free chat clients available for Windows, and see what they have to offer.

Microsoft’s latest operating system, Windows 8, has caused a lot of dissent since the release of the Consumer Preview. After all, the ambitious new UI, loosely called Metro, isn’t exactly standard fare from Redmond. Still, Metro has been seen before in the Zune, Xbox, and Windows Phone 7, so it’s to be expected that Windows would eventually don Metro’s look and feel as well.

But Metro is far more than just a fancy new look, it’s an entire paradigm shift in the way Windows itself functions. Unfortunately, it has some rough edges. Below are eight of the most crucial applications that the Metro half of the computer needs to succeed at real work.

Windows 7 has been out for ages now — its successor is but a few months away. With a big portion of the world’s population running this operating system, its nooks and crannies are well explored. Well, almost!

Here are more than forty not so obvious features and shortcuts to make your life that much more easier! In the interest of keeping this fairly lightweight, I haven’t included your run of the mill registry hacks and such. Look for a nerdier roundup very soon! Now off we go!

Microsoft has, for quite a while, been a key player in the gaming industry; PC Gaming is a thriving platform, and the Xbox 360 almost dominates the console space. Consequently, speculation was rampant on the subject of a possible handheld Xbox console, or some other venture into mobile gaming.

Microsoft’s answer came in the Windows Phone 7 platform, in the form of a dedicated Xbox Live application, accompanied with a very strong selection of titles. Below you will find a list of my personal favourites, all of which I would recommend to any Windows Phone owner.

Even though the platform is relatively new, Windows Phone 7 has taken the world by storm. It’s a clean break from WinMo 6.5 (the previous flagship), with a solid operating system, top of the line hardware and a very slick user interface. As expected, the ecosystem is already quite busy and teeming with interesting apps.

Today, we’ve gathered some of the best applications available for the platform, ranging from well known heavy hitters to obscure gems. Since I’m limited to only a handful here, I could only include apps that I use, and love, on a daily basis. More importantly, keeping with the AppStorm way, I only chose applications that have slick, usable interfaces.

There are plenty of other apps, entire categories even, that I’m missing. I’d really love to hear about them in the comments below!